45 Facts About Majorian

1.

Majorian was the western Roman emperor from 457 to 461.

2.

Majorian was the last emperor to make a concerted effort to restore the Western Roman Empire with its own forces.

3.

Majorian then attacked the Burgundian Kingdom, defeating them at the Siege of Lugdunum, expelling them from the Rhone valley and reducing them to federate status.

4.

In 460, Majorian left Gaul to consolidate his hold on Hispania.

5.

Majorian sought to reform the imperial administration in order to make it more efficient and just.

6.

The powerful general Ricimer deposed and killed Majorian, who had become unpopular with the senatorial aristocracy because of his reforms.

7.

Besides these sources, which are useful for the biographies of the other emperors, some peculiar sources are available that make Majorian's life known in some detail, both before and after his rise to the throne.

8.

Majorian was probably born after 420, as in 458 he is defined as a iuvenis, a "young man".

9.

Majorian belonged to the military aristocracy of the Roman Empire.

10.

Majorian followed Aetius to Gallia, where he met two officers under Aetius' command who were to play an important role in Majorian's life: the Suevic-Visigoth Ricimer and the Gallo-Roman Aegidius.

11.

Majorian distinguished himself in the defence of the city of Turonensis and in a battle near Vicus Helena against the Franks of king Clodio.

12.

Furthermore, as Emperor, Majorian could have led the army himself, freed from the dangerous bond with a powerful general, such as Valentinian had been obliged to contract with Aetius.

13.

Majorian therefore opposed Valentinian's plan, and put an end to Majorian's military career, expelling him from his staff and sending him to his country estate.

14.

Majorian played the role of the candidate for the throne of Licinia Eudoxia, Valentinian's widow, and of Ricimer, who reserved for himself a role similar to Aetius'.

15.

Majorian was succeeded, not by Majorian, but by the Gallic-Roman noble Avitus, who had the support of the Visigoths.

16.

Finally, Majorian caused Avitus' death, possibly starving him, in early 457.

17.

Leo I and Majorian jointly assumed the consulate for the year 458; it was customary that a new Emperor took this magistracy on the first year started as Emperor.

18.

The first problems Majorian had to handle were the consolidation of his rule over Italy and the recovery of Gaul, since this province had rebelled after the deposition of the Gallo-Roman emperor Avitus.

19.

The recovery of the lost provinces of Hispania and Africa was a project that Majorian had to leave for later.

20.

Majorian personally led the Roman army to a victory over the invaders near Sinuessa and followed the defeated Vandals, loaded with their booty, as far as their own ships, killing many of them including their commander.

21.

Majorian then strengthened the army, recruiting a large number of barbarian mercenaries, including Gepids, Ostrogoths, Rugii, Burgundians, Huns, Bastarnae, Suebi, Scythians and Alans.

22.

In late 458, Majorian entered Gaul, with an army strengthened by barbarian units.

23.

Majorian chose his trusted general Aegidius as the new magister militum per Gallias and sent an envoy to Hispania, to report the victory over the Visigoths and the new treaty with Theodoric II.

24.

Majorian defeated the Burgundians and besieged and conquered the city of Lugdunum: the rebel city was heavily fined, while the Bagaudae were forced to join the Empire.

25.

Majorian planned to reconquer Hispania and use it as the base for the conquest of Africa.

26.

Majorian dyed black his fair hair, for which he was famous, and went to Genseric claiming to be an envoy of the Western Emperor.

27.

Majorian collected information on the enemy and gathered a fleet of three hundred ships to support the army in the reconquest of Hispania and in the invasion of Africa.

28.

Majorian convinced him to accept him as Emperor and even to collaborate with his troops in the military recovery of the Empire.

29.

Majorian gathered the main part of the army in Liguria, then entered Aquitaine and Novempopulania coming from Theodoric's court in Toulouse.

30.

Genseric, fearing the Roman invasion, tried to negotiate a peace with Majorian, who rejected the proposal, since the economic investment he had done to prepare the campaign had been enormous.

31.

Majorian disbanded his costly troops, and moved to Arelate to spend the winter, while he expected to be welcome with dissent in Italy.

32.

Majorian understood that he could reign effectively only with the support of the senatorial aristocracy, whom he wanted to return to its pristine political prominence.

33.

Majorian cancelled tax arrears, knowing that fiscal policy could not be effective if taxpayers had to pay large accumulated arrears.

34.

Majorian produced great quantities of nummi of great weight, mostly minted at Ravenna and Milan, and some contorniates, mostly in Rome, but probably in Ravenna.

35.

Majorian thought that this behaviour was harmful to the State, because it reduced the number of Roman children, and because it caused the girls to start illicit affairs.

36.

When Majorian took power by deposing Avitus, the province of Gaul, where Avitus' power was based, did not recognize the new Emperor.

37.

When Majorian re-conquered the province, he chose to forgive this rebellion.

38.

The reason was that Majorian understood that one of the mistakes of his predecessor was to promote and trust only the senatorial aristocracy of Gaul, the region he came from, favouring it over the senatorial aristocracy of Italy.

39.

Majorian, instead, decided to gain the favour of the wealthy and noble families of the recovered province by involving them in the imperial administration, together with the Italian aristocracy that had supported him since the beginning.

40.

Majorian showed great respect towards the Roman senate, as suggested by the message he addressed to it on the eve of his coronation: he promised the senators he would not take into account the accusations of informers, which were much feared as they might be used by the Emperor to cause the fall of influential figures.

41.

Majorian followed through on his promises, as told by Sidonius Apollinaris, who had been anonymously accused of the authorship of a pamphlet against some influential figures: during a dinner together, Majorian defused the risky situation with a witticism.

42.

Majorian's legislation had shown that he intended to intervene decisively on issues that plagued the empire, even if they countered the interests of influential aristocrats.

43.

Majorian did not try to cross the Alps, as he had done in 458, but moved from Arelate along the via Aurelia, in Southern Gallia and Liguria, only to change direction and move towards North: he had probably got news that Ricimer was coming to meet him, and wanted to reach Dertona and from there take the via Aemilia towards Ravenna.

44.

Ricimer spread the news that Majorian had died of natural causes, then waited for three months before placing on the imperial throne a person he believed he could manipulate.

45.

Majorian finally chose Libius Severus, a senator of no political distinction, probably selected to please the Italian senatorial aristocracy.